It is with great pride that we announce that Epsilon Eta’s Michael D. (Mike) Gallo (70-F) has been named a Significant Sig. Mike will be invited to attend the 84th Grand Chapter in Toronto, Canada on June 22-25, 2023 for a Significant Sig recognition experience.
Brother Gallo is a third-generation farmer and businessman, born and raised in Livingston, California. After high school he attended Merced College, earning his A.S. Degree in Ag Business, and then transferring to Fresno State University, where he majored in enology and viticulture.
Mike grew up working on his family’s farm, which his father established in 1946. He learned every job from the bottom up, and after college, he managed the family’s vineyards. In 1979, he and his father launched, first the Joseph Gallo Dairy and then in 1982, the Joseph Gallo Cheese Plant. In 1984, after the cheese plant was built, the Joseph Farms cheese brand was developed.
In 1997, Joseph Gallo Farms made the unprecedented decision to stop using all artificial hormones on its dairy herd, becoming the first cheese producer nationwide to receive governmental approval to label its premium cheese as having “No Artificial Hormones.”
The Joseph Gallo Dairies began as a single dairy with a herd of 4,000 cows. Within a few short years, Joe and Mike built four additional dairies and expanded the herd to over 30,000 cattle, including 15,000 dairy cows. In August 1995, the Joseph Gallo Dairy was named by Successful Farming as the nation’s largest dairy.
Today, with Mike Gallo as CEO, Joseph Gallo Farms focuses on cheese and protein production. The award-winning Grade-A cow’s milk cheese is produced in more than seven different flavors and is sold throughout the United States and Mexico. The adjacent whey protein plant produces whey protein, an ingredient used by many health and nutrition companies. In recent years, Joseph Gallo Farms has also expanded into the growing of California almonds.
The Joseph Farms Cheese brand has earned numerous domestic and international awards for its cheese and continues to do so year after year. In 2014, the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin rated Joseph Farms Provolone Cheese first in its class. Joseph Farms Pepper Jack was named Best of Class at the 2016 World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin. Most recently three awards were taken home from the 2022 World Dairy Expo. Joseph Farms Monterey Jack cheese is the bestselling Monterey Jack variety sold in California.
A special thanks to Brother Kenny Jelacich (70-F) for single-handedly putting together the information required for the successful Significant Sig submittal. Kenny married Mike’s sister, former Sweetheart of Sigma Chi Linda Gallo who reigned during the 1973/1974 school year. Kenny also has worked with Mike at Joseph Farms since his graduation from Fresno State.